CHAPTER 60: HEADING TO THE SECOND OUTER RING

[We have arrived at the Outer Ring. Please depart.]

The voice echoed through the bullet train as it came to a smooth halt.

Sam stood up and exited without hesitation.

Reaching the first Outer Ring had been easy, just a single high-speed ride.

But from this point on, he’d be going the rest of the way alone.

He pulled out the black-rimmed rift card given to him by the [Awakener Association] and lightly tapped it.

A soft glow flickered over its surface as a shimmering arrow materialized in front of him, pointing toward his destination.

And just like that, Sam dashed forward.

Since reaching Adept rank, he could no longer enter the [First] or [Second] layer, so grinding through layers was no longer an option.

Rifts were the best way to train now.

The scenery in the Outer Ring remained still and quiet for a while.

Vast plains, crumbled walls in the distance, empty roads occasionally swallowed by overgrown vines, this area had long been abandoned.

Thankfully, Sam’s speed was nothing short of monstrous, so the distance between him and his destination vanished rapidly.

That was, until he ran into his first obstacle.

---

[Outer Wolf]

[Level: 22]

[Description: A wolf that roams the first Outer Ring, usually travels in packs.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Weak.]

---

Level 22 meant Level 2 in the Adept rank, but even then, Sam didn’t flinch.

He drew his primordial sword from [Spatial Inventory], and the moment its form shimmered into view, the wolves stopped in their tracks.

[Void Watcher: They are scared.]

"Hm," Sam hummed, eyes narrowing.

It was uncommon for monsters to react to overwhelming pressure, but the way these ones froze in place... it was different.

It made him wonder.

He could see monsters’ intentions using [Void Watcher], was it possible to read those of the [Forsaken Lords] too?

If he could get even a glimpse into what they were thinking or planning, maybe he could understand what their prophecy meant.

Still, that question had no answer for now.

All Sam knew from Zorath was that he was the last and only true [Primordial].

With a calm breath, Sam gripped his sword tighter, channeling power from all three of his affinities, Shadow, Chaos, and Void, into the blade.

As the wolves began to slowly back away, sensing his rise in energy, he slashed forward.

Crescent Slash!

A curved wave of raw energy shot out, tearing through the pack in a flash.

Not even a scream echoed before the wolves were vaporized, their bodies torn to pieces mid-air.

In the next moment, his primordial sword absorbed their monster cores automatically.

But unsurprisingly, he didn’t level up.

Now that he was in the Adept rank, every single level would require dozens of kills, if not hundreds, from monsters as weak are these.

Even a powerful rift like the one he was heading toward might not give him more than a level or two at most.

That didn’t matter, though.

What Sam really needed right now was battle experience.

Polishing his skills, refining his combat style, and mastering his newly evolved abilities, that was more valuable than raw levels.

With that in mind, he dashed forward again.

Along the way, more monsters appeared. Some snarled and charged at him like usual, while others... ran away the moment they saw him.

It was odd.

There didn’t seem to be much difference between them. Same ranks, same types. But their responses were completely different.

Was it just instinct? Or did some monsters "sense" what he was?

Either way, Sam didn’t let it distract him.

Time passed, and eventually, as he glanced up, he noticed the scenery had changed.

Above him in the sky was a massive golden ring, gleaming and circular, almost like a celestial band drawn into the clouds.

Ding!

[You have reached the Second ’Outer Ring’.]

There were no transportation systems this far out.

Bullet trains didn’t reach here. No buses. No cars. Just open, ruined land stretching as far as the eye could see.

The only reliable way back would be a teleportation skill or a [Teleportation Crystal], neither of which Sam had.

But he didn’t care. It had only taken him an hour to reach this far, and if needed, he could just run back again.

He pressed forward, following the still-floating arrow.

Eventually, it guided him into a set of ruins.

Cracked pillars, shattered bricks, half-collapsed buildings swallowed by vines and time.

Sam slowed as the arrow pointed ahead, where a narrow flight of stone stairs waited.

At the top of those stairs was a glowing silver portal.

Sam stepped forward, recognizing it immediately.

The Fear Dungeon. The hardest [Adept] rank rift available.

The receptionist had warned him that no one had even managed to clear it.

If it remained untouched for much longer, there was a very real risk of a breakthrough.

Breakthroughs were exactly what they sounded like, complete breaches of the rift barrier, releasing monsters and bosses into the real world.

This was still far from the cities, sure, but if multiple rifts broke at once... well, even civilization could end up at risk.

Still, Sam approached the rift without hesitation.

’This should be a normal one,’ he thought, casually.

But just as he neared the silver portal—

Fwssh—

The portal trembled, and black streaks began to spiral through it like ink in water.

Its calm aura instantly shifted, flaring up into something five times stronger.

Sam stopped walking.

[This rift has just been corrupted in front of you. What terrible luck.]

"...Of course," Sam muttered, unamused.

But it didn’t shake him. If anything, he smiled slightly.

More powerful enemies meant more pressure.

And more pressure meant better training.

With a single step forward, he leapt into the rift, now fully corrupted.

---

[Name: The Fear Dungeon (Corrupted)]

[Recommended Rank and Level: Adept, Level 10]

---

Fwish! Bam!

A flash of light, then darkness.

When Sam opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a small stone room.

He glanced around.

Human skeletons, dozens of them, were scattered across the floor and against the walls.

Some were still clutching cracked weapons, while others had fallen as if they’d tried to crawl away.

’Huh...’

[Hell-Mode Analysis: It seems like nobody who entered this place managed to even get past this room.]

Sam took a step forward, toward the narrow hallway leading deeper in.

Fwish! BAM!

Suddenly, a suffocating pressure slammed down on him, like a blanket of invisible chains.

A cold chill raced down his spine, and something unexplainable filled the air.

[Terror fills your body as you sense a powerful aura swirl around you...]

That was how they died, all of them.

Even with defensive gear, enchanted rings, or fear-resistant items... this wasn’t normal fear. This was something worse: Terror.

That single sensation alone had likely frozen every one of those adventurers in place, making them easy prey.

No wonder this was considered the hardest Adept rift.

But Sam... was different.

[...But nothing happened.]

He felt it. The chill. The pressure. The aura.

But it didn’t control him. It didn’t bind him. It didn’t stop him.

"I still want to test my abilities," Sam whispered, looking around. "So whatever did all this—let’s see if it can handle me."

Without wasting another second, he focused his power.

The three affinities burst to life around him as he activated the skill—

Forsaken Clone!

Black, orange, and silver energy began to swirl in the air beside him, forming the shape of a human, his clone.

But this one was different.

He’d summoned it before, but back then, only his Chaos affinity had been used.

Now, all three were involved.

And this time... something about the clone wasn’t quite the same.

[Hell-Mode Analysis: This clone is on the "Forsaken" path.]